The cognitive–serotonergic interface of gaming: understanding how mobile game-play shapes the young adult brain

These findings illustrate a genre-specific effect of mobile gaming on cognitive-serotonergic profile among young adults. Results further demonstrate that both the type and intensity of gameplay contribute to cognitive and neurochemical outcomes. However, no statistically significant differences emerged across groups in broader executive-function tasks suggesting that mobile gaming is not a uniform cognitive stimulus; rather, its effects are selective, genre-dependent, and influenced by the intensity and duration of engagement, linking gameplay behaviour to both cognitive performance and peripheral neurochemical profiles.